Number 34. January of 2001.

Monzón, The Casttle

It is one of the castles lifted in Spain by the military orders that better preserve its first conventual structure. Furthermore, it is a curious case of arrangement disperses, similar to the built during the Crusades in Holy Earth.
Its foreign aspect is that of modern fort, on account of the remodelings accomplished during the Succession and Independence wars, with large bastions brick and bunker walls for artillery pieces.
The ancient castle is seated on the flat plateau of the hill. The entry is to the southeast, under a brick vault, flanked for two medieval buildings. Inner it is composed of five independent enclosures seated on a triangular surface: three towers, a chapel and the room call of the Gentlemen; all of medieval era. In the center is found the tower of the Homage; the room of the Gentlemen is to Setting and the tower of the dependencies is projected toward Noon.
The tower of the Homage is Musulman, probably built between the IX and X centuries . Its plant is squared; present masonry factory disposed to the manner «opus spicatum» chained with ashlars in the edges. The tower, last refuge of the Templars, has the door of revenue in high and there are data that attest that had two windows in the sides.
The chapel is guided of East to West; its apse, projected toward the cliff, makes tower function. It was built in the XII century by the Templars and it presents great quantity of romanesques elements with some Gothic influence. Its head-board is to the interior, it's semicircular and cover with fourth of sphere; in the center of the apse it is opened a great peep-hole in soil, by where is descended until a underground of great length that had three exits. To the foreign, the apse is polygonal; the door of revenue of the lateral South adorns its voussoir with relief of Goth thematic and its principal door harbors a simple chrismon in one of the moldings, that it was decorated with vegetable elements.
The room of the Gentlemen is the building that produces greater impression of coarseness of all the set. All seems to indicate that was lifted on the foundations of a previous construction. Its plant is a great rectangle of thirty five by twelve meters. The nave, cover with noted cannon vault, cause an impression by its nudity and capacity. Lodged in the wall, under a great niche that form a short cannon vault, it is opened the mouth of the well that gives to the cistern; a channel in the interior of the building decreases from the roof through wall, collecting thus the rainwater. It was used of capitulate room and refectory, it was from the XVII centuryv very modified for its utilization as quarter, being opened numerous hollow for windows. This building has been restored recently returning it a part of its brilliance.
The module of the dormitories was built by the Templars on previous basements and it was serving as housing to the gentleman monks. It were structured in two plants and a cellar, of which part a underground that, according to the tradition, had its exit together to the Cinca river.
The jails of the Commission is a trapezoidal plant building built in the XII century that was serving as political prison during the domination of the Temple (Order of the Templars). It possess two plants and a terrace; at present it is acceded until there through guard-body leant to the building in the last military remodeling. It is known also as Tower of Jaime I, by the popular belief of the fact that it was lodging of the king during his childhood.
The access to the strength is made by an extended ramp, flanked by walls and sentry box of alertness, that ends in a raisable bridge on artificial pit. The first military building that is found, they are the stables; current denomination that answers to the utilization as such during the permanency of the different military garrisons; though throughout the history has had different uses: weapons store, jail and refuge (in the Spanish Civil War of 1936).